CANADIAN ART INK DRAWINGS

"THE CITY FACE"

Canadian Art Ink Drawings: All the people, cars, wires, bricks and
bones collide as the city's chaotic routines whirl around day after
after. A collective energy rises to the rhythms of alarm clocks and
espresso machines while the hum of machinery instigates the
commute.. Skyscraper windows become eyes and the entrances open like
gaping mouths while the tiny little denizens flow to and from
cubicles and out into the streets. Countless computers buzz as the
days activities get underway. Transactions, interactions, conferences
and chance meetings weave their way through the fabric of the
concrete jungle. Stories flow through the air waves and are
communicated through flashing screens and disposable manuscripts
guiding the metropolis movement towards some monstrously obscure
ends. As the hours pass even the most miniscule occurrence echoes
throughout the vascular lane ways and sewer systems recreating the
city as a whole for each and every aspect animate or otherwise is
part of a larger entity, the big city is alive...

“The City Face” is an 18” x 24”
pen and ink drawing I made while working as a full time graffiti
street art performer. At that time I would set up a portable studio
and vendors booth on the sidewalks of downtown Toronto's busy fashion
district and create all of my works right there in public. Inspired
by the crowds and the city itself I made several images dealing with
the personification of the metropolis. The basic concept behind these
works was that the “Big City” and the “individual:” were
intrinsically related, neither could be overshadowed by the other yet
the could not exist independently either.

One of the interesting things I noticed
while observing the streets was how connected everything really is.
An obvious example of this could be seen on the roads when there was
an accident or delay. Something as simple as a street car stalling
could disrupt the flow of the whole district. Another noteworthy
example involves incidents or stories from the news. On any given day
I would see hundreds of people passing by and if something
interesting had happened in the world it was always reflected in the
crowd. The story would manifest itself in the conversations,
postures, the mood and overall energy of the people. As a result of
these ideas I often drew the metropolis as a large human shaped
creature made up of all kinds of tiny depictions of life in the city.